As comic book adaptations have brought heroes from the pages to the big screen, superheroes have become a mainstay of pop culture. Comic book heroes have joined a huge roster of cinematic protagonists whose enhanced abilities or powerful equipment make them worthy of the title "superhero."

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Some heroes stand out due to their powerful or destructive abilities. Others are judged purely by strength because of physical enhancements. With so many impressive superheroes dominating the silver screen, it can be difficult to see which are the strongest.

Updated on July 26, 2022 by Scoot Allan: A couple of powerful new movie superheroes appeared in trailers at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Movies like Black Adam introduced the Justice Society of America while Shazam: Fury of the Gods showcased the strength of the World's Mightiest Mortal. They join a number of other movie superheroes whose strength is one of their greatest qualities. Whether it's from physical enhancements or just sheer strength of will, these heroes stand out on the big screen as the strongest movie superheroes.

15 Ellen Ripley Enhanced Her Strength With A Loading Mech In Aliens

Ellen Ripley in her mech loader in Aliens.

The deadly monsters known as Xenomorphs first appeared in 1978's Alien. A single Xenomorph massacred the crew of the ship Nostromo, though one member managed to survive. Ellen Ripley used her strength to push forward and survive in battle against the alien.

When she returned in 1986's Aliens, Ripley faced a multiplied threat. She continued to prove how strong she was both mentally and physically against dozens of Xenomorphs. She even went up against a powerful alien queen using an advanced mech suit designed to help with loading supplies. A cloned version of Ripley would later gain the enhanced strength of the xenomorphs as well.

14 Neo Gained Enhanced Strength And Abilities As The One From The Matrix

Neo taunts Smith in The Matrix.

1999's The Matrix introduced the character Neo, a computer hacker who unlocked the dark truth of his reality. He lived in the titular virtual world while his body was being used as an energy source for an army of machines. Freed from his virtual and physical imprisonment, Neo began to unlock additional abilities.

While his body in the physical world wasn't much stronger than the average man, Neo had incredible abilities within the Matrix. This allowed him to manipulate the virtual code to accomplish superhuman feats, which eventually transcended the Matrix and could affect the real world as well.

13 Jax's Arcana-Fueled Bionic Arms Enhanced His Strength Considerably

MEHCAD BROOKS as Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs in Mortal Kombat (2021)

Jax was one of the first to suffer a near-fatal injury in 2021's Mortal Kombat when he faced Sub-Zero in battle. Thankfully, he had another chance to demonstrate his incredible strength in Shang Tsung's opening attack against the Earthrealm's tournament fighters.

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Jax lost his arms in his battle with Sub-Zero and struggled to recover with his robotic prosthetics. Eventually, he managed to unlock the mystical essence inside him known as Arcana. This greatly enhanced his bionic arms and made him one of Earthrealm's strongest champions. The enhanced superheroes are just a few of the characters fans want to see in the Mortal Kombat sequel.

12 Detective Alex Murphy Was Transformed Into A Cyborg Named RoboCop

RoboCop firing his weapon

1987's RoboCop introduced a powerful dystopian movie hero trying to save a corporate-controlled Detroit from a rising crime rate. A police strike led to a program that enhanced the body of the recently murdered police officer, Alex Murphy. He received cybernetic limbs and hardware as well as a computer interface and relay system.

Murphy became the first prototype RoboCop, a cyborg with enhanced robotic strength and targeting systems that made him a one-man army. The corporate OCP controlled RoboCop with a series of rules and programming. However, Murphy's identity was able to override his programming so he could continue to protect and serve on his own terms.

11 Hellboy's Enhanced Strength And Right Hand Of Doom Slays Monsters

Hellboy 2019 Reboot feature

There have been a couple of versions of Hellboy on the big screen. Each live-action version has presented a similar take on the comic character. Humans raised the half-demon Hellboy to hunt down monsters as a member of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.

Hellboy has incredible strength that allows him to take on monsters much bigger and more powerful than him. But that isn't his only powerful weapon. Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom further adds to his devastating strength. He can deliver incredibly powerful blows using the arm that's prophesized to bring about the end of all.

10 Spider-Man Has The Proportionate Strength, Speed, And Agility Of A Spider

Three Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home

Peter Parker and his heroic alter ego Spider-Man have been adapted to the big screen a few times over the years. One of the strongest is the modern take on the character, who starred in his own trilogy as well as other movies in the MCU.

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Spider-Man has the proportionate strength of a spider that allows him to pull off incredibly powerful feats. He was also given an advanced suit of nanotechnology created by Iron Man that further enhanced his strength. Spider-Man's sense of responsibility has driven him to become a hero in every iteration of the character, making it his true strength.

9 Mr. Incredible Is The Powerful Leader Of A Superhero Family

Mr Incredible from Incredibles

2004's The Incredibles was a beloved superhero movie not based on comics. It tells the tale of a family of superheroes forced into retirement when the government introduced a ban on superheroes. Mr. Incredible has phenomenal strength and durability that allow him to exercise with train cars and take on giant superhero-killing robots.

Some of the feats of strength seen in The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2 show that Mr. Incredible is capable of bench-pressing an ALCO locomotive, which weighs 153 tons. The fact that Mr. Incredible is shown training several times in the films indicates there may not be an upper limit to his strength.

8 Hancock Is An Incredibly Strong Hero From A Race Of Immortals

Will Smith and Charlize Theron in Hancock

When viewers first met the titular hero, Hancock was a superpowered nuisance with a drinking problem. Hancock eventually underwent superhero training when an altruistic press agent focused on softening his edges and limiting property damage. Hancock had amnesia for decades, which further affected his mental state and ultimately his success as a hero.

Hancock eventually learned that he came from a race of immortals who lose their abilities when they partner up, allowing them to grow old and die. His incredible strength allowed him to effortlessly toss a whale into the air. His estranged partner and fellow immortal is even stronger, though she never suited up as a hero.

7 Shazam Is The World's Mightiest Mortal Who Is Powered By The Gods

Billy Batson flexing as Shazam

Billy Batson was a teenager when he first encountered the powerful being known as The Wizard in 2019's Shazam! He called upon the strength of the gods by saying the magic word "Shazam," which transformed him into the World's Mightiest Mortal.

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Shazam's magical abilities gave him a powerful edge over other strong heroes like Superman. However, Shazam's limited experience with his abilities holds him back from tapping into his full strength. His limited appearances on the big screen also haven't resulted in too many feats of strength to compare to other movie superheroes.

6 Captain Marvel's Super-Strength Is Just One Of Her Powerful Abilities

An image of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel.

The MCU welcomed a powerful new hero in 2019's Captain Marvel. While she worked with the Kree as a solider named Vers, she eventually discovered that they had been taking advantage of her memory loss and manipulating her. She was really a human pilot named Carol Danvers. Captain Marvel unlocked incredible abilities granted by an Infinity Stone to take the fight to her former allies.

As Captain Marvel, she gained powerful cosmic abilities. She was able to absorb and manipulate energy, which could empower her impressive strength. Captain Marvel even has powers she rarely uses. There's a good reason why Carol's MCU debut and her new place in the power hierarchy launched several debates among fans over which character was stronger.

5 Thor Is An Asgardian Thunder God With An Enchanted Hammer

thor holding the mjolnir

The character most often brought up in competition with Captain Marvel for the strongest MCU hero is Thor, the Asgardian God of Thunder. Thor also wields an enchanted weapon, either Mjolnir or Stormbreaker, that helps him control his powerful lightning-based abilities.

Asgardians are one of the strongest aliens in Marvel's galaxy. Thor is further powered by his godlike abilities. A lifetime of training, battles with powerful trolls, and wars with other realms have further honed his strength. This makes Thor one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's strongest superheroes.

4 Ikaris Is A Powerful Member Of The Eternals With Super-Strength And Other Powers

Ikaris using his powers from Eternals

The powerful ancient race the Eternals made its debut in the MCU in 2021. Ikaris was one of the physically strongest members of the powerful team. He also had a whole host of abilities that further increased his power levels.

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Ikaris can fly and move at incredible speeds, and he also had devastating eye beams that helped him take down monstrous Deviants for centuries. Other Eternals like Gilgamesh were able to channel cosmic energy to become incredibly strong, though Ikaris' multiple abilities push him ahead of his teammates.

3 Wonder Woman Is An Amazonian Demigod With Enhanced Strength

Wonder Woman Movie

2017's Wonder Woman gave the DCEU character her own origin story after her debut appearance in 2016's Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Wonder Woman explored her early years in training as an Amazonian warrior and her attempts to help the Allies of the First World War.

Diana began to learn the truth about her origins and the real limits of her incredible strength after she confronted Ares, God of War. Diana was the demigod daughter of Zeus, which allowed her to tap into an ancient power. She was able to increase her strength and create debilitating waves of force as one of the strongest superheroes on the big screen.

2 Hulk And The Thing Frequently Battle For The Title Of The Strongest

Hulk vs Thing for Marvel's strongest hero

Marvel films have featured two incredibly strong heroes. Hulk and The Thing frequently face off with each other in the comics to determine who is stronger. Unfortunately, they have yet to meet in live-action on the big screen to test each other's strength

Two live-action versions of the Fantastic Four have appeared on the big screen. It's the second take on Ben Grimm/The Thing that stands out when comparing strength. There are a few different versions of the Hulk that fans have seen in movies. Each one could grow stronger as they got angrier, making his true strength almost limitless.

1 Superman Is DC's Man Of Steel Who Overpowers Most Other Heroes

Superman in Man Of Steel

Another superhero with quite a few cinematic adaptations is Superman. His strongest movie incarnation launched the DCEU in 2013 with Man Of Steel, which was a darker take on Superman. Man Of Steel featured an incredibly strong Superman that leveled cities in his battle with General Zod. Even a few Marvel characters were clearly inspired by Superman and his strength.

Superman can also fly, has super speed, and has devastatingly powerful heat vision. Superman further showcased his strength during battles with Doomsday in Superman V. Batman and Steppenwolf in Zack Snyder's Justice League. The Man of Steel is capable of taking on almost any other movie superhero and come out with the win.

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